A two-alarm fire that ripped through a New Rochelle warehouse Tuesday evening started in an area where paper files were stored, Fire Chief Lou DiMeglio said.

The cause of the fire inside the foot-care factory Ortho-Rite, at 65 Plain Ave., is still under investigation, DiMeglio said, but it appears to have started in the mezzanine section around 6 p.m.

About 35 firefighters wrestled with the blaze for hours. They contended with the wind and had to move to be pulled out of the building briefly because they feared the roof could collapse, DiMeglio said.

"There are steel joints that hold up the roof that started to buckle and metal decking that was warped from the heat below," he said. "And the roof is made of a highly flammable rubber membrane that caught fire. It was going pretty good."

The fire started in the mezzanine section where paper files are stored, Fire Chief Lou DiMeglio said.(Photo: James Eberhart)

The only injury was to a firefighter, who cut his hand, DiMeglio said.

On Wednesday, investigators and the owner were inside the building looking for cause, which hasn't been determined yet, the chief said.